Hey, everyone. I'm excited to see what Square Enix does with KH3, but I would love to see these things. I've also pitched what I think would be a cool plot (though it's extremely unlikely). This is definitely influenced by Ryan Clement's article on this site, I think he has some excellent ideas.

Gameplay:

Square Enix seems to be taking a step in the right direction with DDD, and the trend needs to continue. Kingdom Hearts has been hampered by having aesthetically pleasing yet hollow, lifeless environments. Interaction with the environment and dynamic location-specific attacks will help tremendously to keep it from being the same old 3-part-combo-hack-and-slash battle system of old. A combination of BBS, DDD and KH2 battle systems will accomplish the needed variety. There are multiple routes Square Enix could take on the main character front. It seems that there are whole teams of heroes. Riku, Kairi and Lea could be one, Mickey, Donald and Goofy could be another, and Sora and Aqua could be one more (more on that later). However, one thing seems obvious: players love Sora. He’s the relatable hero; we’ve been through so much with him from KH1, Chain of Memories, KH2 and Coded. He was inactive in 358/2 Days and BBS, and only half the story in DDD, with Riku ending the game. Though there are many options for multiple characters, having Sora return as the sole protagonist of Kingdom Hearts 3 would be a very understandable move, and is probably the wisest decision possible. Sora could absolutely have other companions later on. I don’t know what Square Enix is planning with Ven. He’s a wild card, to be sure, but until he dies or is restored to his body (one of the two needs to happen, possibly both) Sora should gain the ability to wield two Keyblades all the time. Co-op gameplay would be a great addition. Another player could control Aqua (in the event of Sora being the main character and Aqua being his companion) via split-screen, system link, or online. More than two players, and it may get a little clunky.

Dynamics:

The Kingdom Hearts series is clearly moving away from having Disney characters at the heart of the story, with the exceptions of Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Kingdom Hearts 3 doesn’t need to have individual story lines for each Disney world; in fact, that would hamper it. Having the story continue fluidly through each world would be an excellent move, adding tension and excitement to the storyline and eliminating tedium from the gameplay. The worlds should be more inhabited with life: pedestrians, living creatures (which aren’t enemies), environments one can interact with, etc. Square Enix also needs an AI overhaul for allies. They need to be smarter and more independent. Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden should be featured prominently, and Twilight Town could be a cool early moment in the game as a run down, nearly destroyed world and a sign of Xehanort’s dominance. The village from Beauty and the Beast and environments from Fantasia 2000 would be excellent Disney settings, and for the first time there should be Final Fantasy settings. Namely, Midgar/Edge/Gaia (FF7) and Spira (FFX). The focus this time should be on the indigenous populations of the worlds, as Xehanort seeks to commit mass murder and add hearts to Kingdom Hearts or something along those lines. These are the “light” worlds which the keyblade masters seek to protect, and conversely there should be “dark” worlds like Malificent’s castle, Esthar (FF8), the setting from The Black Cauldron and Le Cite des Cloches which contribute to the numbers of Heartless via the darkness in the hearts of the population. The keyblade masters, seeing this as a threat, should attack these places, and Sora is forced to fight them and defend the “dark” worlds.

Plot:

It’s time for Kingdom Hearts to grow up. I don’t mean by swearing, sex, or gory violence. However, its audience is now much older than it was in 2002. This is a game which should be directed at teens and young adults, but still have none of the aforementioned cinematic themes so that kids can play it. The crux of this game is Sora. It’s time for him to once again be a dynamic central character, and he needs to be a little pissed.
The last few games have really added to this notion that Sora isn’t special. He’s not the sole keyblade wielder, he’s not even seen as a good one by the end of DDD. This is nonsense: Sora is very special. He saved the world with the help of two equally clueless knights of Mickey’s kingdom. He had no help from a guru like Yen Sid or Ansem the Wise, and had almost no idea of what was going on; he was armed with a love of his friends, unrelenting companionship and tremendous skill with the Keyblade. He’s beaten Riku numerous times; there’s no way Riku is the superior fighter. Though tremendous damage was done to his memory, he still destroyed the crew at Castle Oblivion. Of the 11 Organization members the gang had to fight (Roxas and Axel were obviously not their enemies), Riku defeated 2, Axel defeated 1, Sora and Riku defeated 1 together, and Sora (with Donald and Goofy’s help) defeated 7. By far the most powerful members aside from Xemnas were Marluxia and Saix, whom Sora defeated alone. When Sora was placed in a cryogenic sleep, all Riku and co. could do was help him get his memory back and keep him safe. Sora has saved the world once by himself, and another time with little help. He doesn’t need Yen Sid or anyone to tell him if he’s the master of the keyblade or not; he’s the only one who’s been proven to have the strength of heart and the combat skill to get the job done.

Pitch:
Kingdom Hearts 3 will be set a year and a half after DDD. By this time, Lea and Kairi will be full fledged keyblade wielders. Xehanort is up to his evil schemes, apparently destroying whole worlds to add to Kingdom Hearts. Yen Sid has decided that it is better to wait and have his keyblade masters ready than to go after Xehanort right away. There is, however, one problem. Sora is a no-show. No one has heard from him for half a year. Early on, Xehanort and co. attack Yen Sid’s castle, with Riku and Mickey barely able to stop the castle’s destruction and beat back Xehanort. Yen Sid then decides that there is no time, and despite Kairi and Lea not yet being keyblade masters and Sora not being present, Xehanort must be stopped as soon as humanly possible.
The plot of Kingdom Hearts 3 will pit Sora’s own friends against him, and this will mean the end of whatever Sora and Kairi had going on. It’s been over 3 years of some potential romance which has resulted in jack squat, and it’s too late. Kingdom Hearts 3 could feature a romance like Cloud and Aeris’ romance in FF7, as Cloud’s potential with Tifa was squandered in their youth. This is even more effective as we have seen Sora and Kairi’s relationship, and that they are too scared to talk of romance. Sora will engage in a budding romance with Aqua, who is strong, kind, and active, far more like him than the passive and somewhat weak-willed Kairi (there is the obvious objection of the age difference, but Aqua hasn't aged a day in the world beyond, and it appears she has existed outside of time).
This means that Aqua will be re-introduced into the world. Sora/Ventus will hear Aqua and Ansem calling to him from the world beyond, and through his strength of heart, he manages to pull them back into the real world. With Ansem as their mentor, Sora and Aqua realize that the keyblade masters, the warriors of light, are doing exactly what Xehanort wants, and that they do not understand the need for balance between light and dark, making Eraqus’ classic mistake. To this end, they must travel to both light and dark worlds, saving indigenous populations of “light” worlds from Xehanort’s murderous schemes, and saving the dark worlds from the surprisingly ruthless efforts of the keyblade masters.
In a powerful scene which connotes the middle of the game, Sora and Aqua fight Riku and Kairi while defending Malificent and the inhabitants of her castle, with Riku seeming to gain the upper hand on Sora until Aqua hits him with a freezing spell, Sora then forcibly removing Kairi’s keyblade from her person. Sora and Kairi then confront each other and “end their friendship,” as Kairi cannot forgive Sora for defending a “witch who destroyed our lives” and Sora explaining that he once believed in destiny and childish romance like the myth of the Paupu fruit, but that it’s simply not true, that the two of them “aren’t meant to be together, because there’s no such thing as destiny, there’s the choices we make” and that he is in love with Aqua (who is not present during their discussion).
Despite Sora’s best efforts, Xehanort manages to pit the 7 warriors of light (Riku, Kairi, Lea, Mickey, Aqua, Sora and Ventus, who needn’t exit Sora’s body) against his 13 parts of darkness, with light and darkness at equal balance in the world. Donald and Goofy see the wisdom of Sora’s ways and become a crucial source of support at this point, in a very dramatic, heartwarming moment, recalling the first Kingdom Hearts. In a last ditch effort, Sora tries to dissuade the “Young Xehanort” with Ventus’ heart speaking through Sora’s body, and releasing Terra’s heart from Xehanort’s control. Despite this working and his chances at Kingdom Hearts’ restoration being ruined, Xehanort then recombines a revived Vanitas and Ventus’ heart (made vulnerable by channeling himself through Sora) to form the X-blade, constituting Ventus’ heroic death. Riku and Xehanort grasp for it, but ultimately the X-blade chooses Sora, who is the only one who understands the balance of the cosmos and the sanctity of human life. Sora does not seek the power to destroy evil like Riku, or the power to dominate the world like Xehanort. All Sora fights for is love, and the preservation of life; with the X-blade choosing him, Sora defeats Xehanort (who attempts to kill him and take the X-blade), restoring the former Organization 13 members in addition to freeing Terra.
In the end, Riku, Yen Sid and co. apologize to Sora, who explains that the key to goodness is to not give in to hate. True, darkness constitutes destruction and wickedness, but hating the darkness and those who cannot contain the darkness in their hearts will lead to more death. Aqua, grieving over Ventus’ death and emotionally overwhelmed by Terra’s return, embraces and kisses Sora, explaining that she does love him, but needs time before they can start a life together, with Sora reacting with sadness but understanding. With Mickey, Donald and Goofy returning to Disney Castle, and Riku and Kairi returning to Destiny Islands, Sora goes with Ansem the Wise along with Terra back to Hollow Bastion, to research the situation and see what needs to be done to maintain balance in the cosmos, as Aqua goes back to her old home in order to sort out her feelings. Potential for a sequel are in place, as situations could arise at Aqua’s old home, in Ansem’s research or at Destiny Islands and Disney Castle.

Presentation:

Sora’s outfit has improved over time, and now it’s time to get rid of those awful shoes. Longer hair, dark shorts, a sleeveless shirt without that silly short-sleeved jacket, and better shoes are all Sora needs to look like the heroic, wise young man he is. The ability to change Sora and Aqua’s outfits might be a nice touch, though, perhaps with different cloaks and shoes with different abilities, etc.
“Sanctuary” is an excellent song; another good song by Utada Hikaru may be in order, or a new theme song by a different artist could work, too. If I hear “Simple and Clean” one more time I’m going to have a stroke.
Having incredible hi-def graphics isn’t totally key, but having large, interactive environments is. The KH series has always been on the cutting edge of graphics design on the PS2, Nintendo DS and PSP. Having slightly less stellar graphics on the PS3 or next-gen system in favor of having big, life-rich worlds with interactive features and lots of NPCs will do just fine. I’m sure the Disney movies will not suffer from not being totally lifelike. Frequent FMV cutscenes (a la Final Fantasy X) would work very well in making up for slightly subpar in-game graphics.

I agree with most except for the story section. It sounded good up until you started making Aqua and Sora fall in love and have Sora fighting Kairi and stuff. First off, that would just be gross with Aqua and Sora. Even though she hasnt aged she still had to be in her late teens early 20's and Sora would only be 17 and I know that wouldnt be much of a age difference but Aqua is still way more mature than Sora so it would still feel like a 30 year old dating a 14 year old. And that whole Sora and Aqua fighting Kairi and Riku makes no sense because they wouldnt have to fight to prove their point. Riku and Kairi are pretty sensible and would listen to reason so I think one of KH's classic speeches on Light and Darkness would work a lot nicer there that a huge fight. Also I think that KH3 should stick with 1 and 2's gameplay. The command system is really fun but I like the console gameplay style better and I feel like they should stick to the handheld games with that system. But the rest sounds good

Sora's boyish at times, sure, but he's also brave, kind, and emotionally mature beyond his years. I don't think a love story between Sora and Kairi would be believable or effective at this point. Perhaps no romance is needed at all. It does seem that Riku, Mickey and co. are playing right into Xehanort's scheme, and it seems that there's a reason why Sora leaves at the end of DDD. Square Enix is setting up a plot dynamic, I just don't know what. To this end, it would seem necessary that Xehanort almost complete his task near the end of the game for dramatic tension, rather than Sora managing to make Riku and co. understand ahead of time. Sora defending Malificent would certainly seem out of character and mutinous, given that she's brought tremendous pain and suffering to all their lives (especially Riku and Kairi's) so their becoming emotional would make some sense given the context, though it is true that Riku is very rational and careful.

i want to make one comment. first of all, all of this is absolutely brilliant. well done. however, i must point out one thing.
Sora and Kairi have made it much too obvious that they have been in love, from secret endings to even scenes from destiny islands in re:chain of memories, where tidus, wakka and selphie teased Sora about crushing on Kairi. everyone in this series so far seemingly agrees that they belong together, and considering that Kairi finished the drawing of Sora and Kairi sharing the Paopu fruit, and how she seemed to be very anxious for his return at the end of coded, it seems like something may be going on already.
I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but i'm a huge supporter or sora-kairi and terra-aqua. I just believe that it's right, and it seems like those pairs of people belong together. that being said, it really was a brilliant plot to plan out. well done!

kingdom hearts 1 and 2 are amazing games that should not be changed. maybe better graphics more combos and rpg style leveling up etc but what made those two the best is that, thats what it did. i kept the same gameplay, kept the story line in lined with the previous one, and kept sora with the same look and personality and changed both looks personality gameplay and how the story goes along with the worlds and game will take away the old kingdom hearts we all loved. all im saying is the games freakin sexy the way it is lol

I think you're over thinking it way too much. The story wont be that complicated, and there definitely wont be any romance, especially not between Sora and Aqua. More than likely, KHIII will be more about restoring Ventus and finding Aqua, with Xehanort randomly interrupting them while they search a new set of Disney worlds. Then at the end, all 8 of them go and fight Xehanort, and win because they have an extra piece of light, Sora, who they've stressed isn't supposed to have a keyblade. Seriously, all throughout 3D they talked about how Sora is weak and shouldn't have a keyblade. Also, since KHIII is only the end of Sora's story, it's likely that the game wont end with everything explained. It's also likely that you will be able to play as all 8 characters, and there will be co-op missions, kind of like 358/2. I assume this will be an extra mode, and the Story will probably be played with mainly Sora, but with each other character playable in certain parts. That, or you'll be able to choose who you play as the entire game, and the cutscenes just feature Sora.

HOLD ON! Spoilers, remember the secret ending of DDD. They were talking about the seven pure lights/princess' of heart, and how Xehanort would target them seeing as the worlds would give way to darkness without them, and if there was a year and a half of time he may have been able to accomplish it. Second remember, nobody said he wasn't special in the end. Remember that whole conversation about Sora that Riku and Ansem the Wise were talking about. Sora has a special role. That's all i got to say for now.

i think that the kiddish thing in the old games is what pushes the more dramatic part in the game and the buddy buddy thing between aqua and sora is good but the whole sora loves aqua i dont think it would be a good idea because sora is more of a kid and aqua is more of the parental figure so i dont think that would be a good match and sora fighting kairi is a good thing but dropping the sora loves kairi ball would make a lot of people mad and sora being the super power keyblade holder and keeps the balance is a good idea so that my thought so talk to me if you want to bounce ideas with me

THANK YOU SO MUCH! im so sick of hearing that riku is the best keyblade wielder.... BULLSHIT. If Riku is so good with the keyblade why wouldn't square make him the main character? KH3 knows that Sora is the game, When you think of KingdomHearts you think SORA, not Riku: the bitch who gave into darkness and magically became good. no, i think square will kind a way the make Riku evil again i hope. i hate that bitch

THANK YOU SO MUCH! im so sick of hearing that riku is the best keyblade wielder.... BULLSHIT. If Riku is so good with the keyblade why wouldn't square make him the main character? KH3 knows that Sora is the game, When you think of KingdomHearts you think SORA, not Riku: the bitch who gave into darkness and magically became good. no, i think square will kind a way the make Riku evil again i hope. i hate that bitch

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Why on earth would they make the main character the best? What's the point of playing as him if we know for a fact he is the best Keyblade wielder ever and will beat anyone? Main character =/= the best.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! im so sick of hearing that riku is the best keyblade wielder.... BULLSHIT. If Riku is so good with the keyblade why wouldn't square make him the main character? KH3 knows that Sora is the game, When you think of KingdomHearts you think SORA, not Riku: the bitch who gave into darkness and magically became good. no, i think square will kind a way the make Riku evil again i hope. i hate that bitch

Have at least 1 FF character wield his own keyblade. Warrior of Light is the most worthy. Mickey has his own. Yen Sid was a former Keyblade master. it's time a Final Fantasy character got his own. Warrior of Light or Cecil. or I think if they were going to add an FF keyblader square-enix would put Lightning. She's in every game but with proper handling of the story I think they could make it work with Lightning and her keyblade. OR the biggest dream a fanboy could ever hope for, Noctis gets in the game. with a keyblade. and Sora gets overshadowed. haha. They used "time splitters" for Birth By Sleep characters abilities, Noctis does this so well with his Blink.